Divit mig

Some semblance of movement this morning at Inverkeithing, with a few Sand Martin and Wagtails, and a Common Sand mooching about the rocks. Finally managed to get a pic of one there. Usually I see them flying past low and then they skip round the coast when you get closer.

Common Gulls are increasing (12), as are BH Gulls (c.160). 22 Lapwings, which are roosting on the old papermill site, was a record for me too. Wouldn't mind a drop-in Med Gull which I need for my Divit list. I've missed at least one that I remember in the last couple of years.

Some nice Small Tortoiseshell butterflies on the Buddleias too.

Oh- I almost forgot. Tufty duck with 8 chicks at Dalbeath Marsh LNR last night. Yay :)

Common Sand on the rocks

Flypast Alba

Buddleia butterfly

Classic mid-July morning at Inverkeithing

The first migrants are dribbling through - Sand Martins, another 4 Grey Wagtail, some finches, Curlew, Oystercatcher. Also Sandwich Tern is becoming regular and the first flock of Gannets were hanging around this morning. Lapwings were in the harbour, although I could only see 4 this morning.

Fulmar coming for a look

First serious Gannets

Upchannel Curlew

Prediction comes true :)

Way back in February/March this year I looked at the rubble strewn wasteland that used to be the paper mill in Inverkeithing and thought that my first Ringed Plover should show up there. I was disappointed when spring didn't produce any, but apparently I wasn't looking hard enough.

This morning as I scanned the area and its loafing gulls (BH Gulls up to c35) I heard a piping noise somewhere not far in front of me. I was able to locate it mostly because the bird was running around like crazy. As I scanned for more I heard another call from my left - a juvenile! I managed to get some shots of the adult, but I couldn't locate the juvenile after I switched from bins to camera. This is my first Ringo for Inverkeithing, so a nice result :)

There was also a RT Diver out on the river, but yesterday's Goosander seem to have moved on. They may just be pottering about somewhere I couldn't see them, though..

Playing nice

Playing hard to get

... and harder

Baby feeding time

Pigeon poser

Inverkeithing - first post-breeding Goosander

Nice way to start the month. Breezy morning, with not a lot else of note. Except that the Shelduck all appear to have trotted off for a feather change. Also last week there were no Sand Martins in Cruicks Quarry.

June finished at 54 species, which was 2 up on last year. The quietest month of the year typically.

You look just like your mother!

Goosander, with Tiger-striped Eider ducks

Inverkeithing + House Martin

Spent 45 minutes at the Divit this morning and picked up House Martin finally. Another lone Swift sailed past, but on a foggy morning with slight westerlies there wasn't a lot else of interest to be had, although I did see my first Fox for the site.

Heard that the Wryneck from yesterday is still in the East Neuk. Good day in the East yesterday with RB Shrike, Pied Fly, Rosefinch and Wryneck, while Letham Pools had a summer Med Gull. Sadly, I chose to watch Dunfermline get relegated to Div 2 instead. Still, I only needed the Rosefinch and there will be another. I find it hard to get motivated to drive an hour each way to see birds I've seen before these days, but my Fife list only needs a few bumps to make 250.

Dropped into Merlin Drive after that to see 5 juvenile Coot being fed. Tree Sparrows were also still around, but none came close enough or stood still long enough to be photographed.

Swallow porn

Coot babies (but not cute babies)

Warbler Wars
So far Hill of Beath and Cullaloe have turned up the same warblers - Chiffchaff, Willow, Sedge, Whitethroat, Grasshopper and Blackcap (ordered by arrival). This is a decent result for Hill of Beath, particularly in the case of Grasshopper Warbler - I had no record of either Blackcap or Gropper previously, although it was fairly predictable. Shortly the Garden Warblers should be in at Cullaloe, but since they seem to prefer the extensive willow trees there will this give Cullaloe a chance to peg one back?

Inverkeithing + Swift

Finally a Swift showed up at Inverkeithing, but I'm still one species behind last year at this stage. Still looking for Blackcap and House Martin. On the other hand since it was freezing this morning I don't blame them for not being here.

Common Terns are back in force, though, with birds on the platform off Carlingnose Point and the old pier at Stone Marine, despite the presence of a moored boat. Up above Cruicks Quarry there was a Buzzard, while back at the coastal path a Sparrowhawk flew west. There were 22 Eider in and around the harbour.

Weekend Garganey (?)

The biggest success of the weekend, and bonus bird,  was undoubtedly the almost immediate showing of the predicted Garganey. Remarkably, though, I didn't also predict Tufted Duck, which ought to have gone with it. The first Tufty group that carried the Garganey was too far out, I thought, to be worth trying to photograph. The second group (see below), was slightly closer, but not by a huge amount. Given the result, I definitely should have tried to photograph the Garganey, but you live and learn. I had kind of hoped that it would be in the harbour, but I'm not complaining! The rareness of these shouldn't be underestimated, with only one sighting in spring last year. This means that on both occasions I have seen Tufties I have seen a Garganey with them. Perhaps even more oddly, there have been 10 Tufties both times.Last year's were on 31st April.

(I have since found out that there was a Scaup in Inverkeithing harbour with Tufties yesterday, and am wondering whether the pale upperwing of a Garganey could be mistaken for the pale upperbody of a Scaup at that distance. Could I have made that mistake? Sadly, I don't think that's entirely impossible. I may have to "reject" that record as unsatisfactory, which is a a bit of a blow. Even worse, I didn't see the Scaup)

More predictably than that, Willow Warbler and Swallow both turned up at Hill of Beath, with WW in every square of my HOB route and a couple of single Swallows, or possibly one that was following me.

Westward bound Tufties

cropped and oomed

One Swallow does not a summer make

But it is nice to see all the same!

Before I got out of bed this morning an Oystercatcher peeped it's way over my house, which is the 65th species for hill of Beath this year, and it maintains its slender lead over Cullaloe. I was happy to see a lack of rain and made my way to Inverkeithing in very blustery winds. The Forth Road Bridge was toying with closure to high sided vehicles. The sky was quite bright, and I tucked into a sheltered spot in front of Prestonhill Quarry. Looking out to sea was fairly fruitless due to the waves, although it was nice to watch the Fulmars gambolling around along with the odd gull.

Quickly I could spot migrating finches. These are a nightmare here usually because they pop up on the bushes singing and you're never quite sure if they were there all the time or they just arrived - I'm sure Greenfinches, Chaffinches, Goldfinches, Linnets all pass through, but in stealth mode.

This morning there was no doubt though, as trickles of these all, plus Siskins, battled west along the path into the teeth of the wind.Most came in small groups or twos, while Mipits came mostly as singles. In the middle of this came the nicest surprise of the day - my first Swallow of the year. For the second year in a row I have now seen Swallow before Sand Martin.


I took a brief trip to the south side of the harbour, where there is a Sand Martin colony, but there was no sign there either. There were Willow Warblers though, so two new species for the Divit takes it to 81 species, while Hill of Beath goes to 65 species.

Drip, drip drip, little april showers

Woke up early and saw the weather wasn't as bad as anticipated, so I legged it outdoors ASAP. A half hour at Cullaloe under leaden skies provided the first Willow Warblers of the year - a welcome surprise. Sadly by the time I got to Inverkeithing it was starting to rain, and it gradually increased throughout. The wind, though, was nicely calmer at E2 and I actually enjoyed the rain. Light drizzle always reminds me of the Western Isles and being on holiday.

Grey Bridge

Willow Warbler. Honest.

Chiffchaff. One of two or three

Two of over 40 around now

Coming for a look

Round the houses

A Grand Tour this morning, with half an hour each, more or less, at Cullaloe, Inverkeithing and Merlin Drive, Dunfermline. A very grey start meant ISO1600 on the camera, which is always a pain, but it did improve slightly as the morning wore on.

Cullaloe performed well, with a Chiffchaff (finally!) and a Grey Heron (again, finally!) added to the list, which now stands at 62, only one behind Hill of Beath. I am hoping the fightback will begin, probably with Chiffchaff.

Not much by way of vismig - hence the frequent shifts.Inverkeithing was likewise quiet and added nothing new, including the wind, which was once more easterly and around force 3-4. Booooring, but maybe not in the East Neuk where I am not. There were a couple of incidences of interesting Chaffinch behaviour, where two birds rose up high flapping around each other before descending again. Because they were silhouetted and my camera refused to focus on them I'm still unsure whether this was a pair in courtship or two males in dispute.

On to Merlin Drive and some Mipit and Pied Wag movement was clearer, with 12 Mipit, 5 Pied Wag and a Chaffinch in 20 mins. Mipits were mostly singles almost due east, although there was one group of 6.

This morning also my Birdtrack records go over 4000 for 2013.

Where have you been?

Stock around the clock

Still hanging about about

and its buddy

Display flights from various woodies

Ehhh, Robin

Two from a posse of five

Territorial dispute ...

... didn't go against the odds

First Gannet

Took a detour to Inverkeithing on the way home last night after the rain had gone and picked up the first Gannet of the year. Slightly earlier than last year I think. There was also a Dunlin hanging out with a few Redshanks. Mute Swan nesting is well underway, both here and at Cullaloe, which reminds me I should see if the pair at Hill of Beath is settled in somewhere.


This morning there was not much of interest at all. A Seal had discovered, or caught, something tasty and a Kittiwake brave enough to try and pinch some was then merrily chased up and down by a small flock of gulls. A darvic'd Herring Gull was present (left leg orange 1214), and there seemed to be more Eider around.

The winter visitors are clearing out slowly, while the summer visitors are few and far between.

Does lack of breeding plumage age this Dunlin?

Home maker

First Gannet

One of 15 or so

Ring-legged Gull

Orange 1214

Kittiwake vs Seal vs Gull-pack

Chase

Enough!

... with the Easterlies. OK, so thanks for the Grey Phalarope and all but Holy-mother-of-god please stop!

Half hour at Cullaloe this morning saw Feral Pigeon bring up the 60 at last. Still no Chiffs or Sand Martin for me, but a handful of northbound travellers - Mipit (7), Oyc, Curlew, and some probably local breeding Greylags again. Some LBB and Herring Gulls also may fit into that category, but it's hard to know what the Gulls are doing.

Onto Inverkeithing, then, where the wind is worse because there's no shelter. Out on the coastal path is nigh on unbearable and the harbour had little to offer either. There were a similar handful of Mipits and maybe a finch or two (Gold, Green, Linnet), but again hard to tell.

At least all my patches have clocked up the 60% now. Hopefully by the end of the month I'll be looking at more like 70.

Cullaloe Greylags

Nice weather effect (with bonus unidentified migrants!)

Northbound Curlew

Hound Point - yes, no birds

Divit Drought

Still no sign of Chiffchaff nor Sand Martin in the Divit (nor Osprey), although all have been spotted in the Kingdom. Irritating wind in the morning became howling gale by lunchtime. 9.5 degrees showed on my car thermometer and it was still freezing. Kittiwake in the harbour. Actually IN the harbour. Brutal watching conditions and I could only last out half an hour, like this morning.

AM saw a couple of Chaffinch, a Pied Wag and a Mipit North and 8 Siskins south (can't blame them).

Worse than discovering my camera was on ISO 1600 and I had blown out some kice Kittiwake shots, I discovered that the viewing screen was cracked. Not a good lunchtime.

Bonus shot from yesterday